Bass Fishing’s Greatest Fan Event Coming Soon

Bass Fishing’s Greatest Fan Event Coming Soon

By Craig Lamb

The Bassmaster Classic®. There’s not another event like it anywhere, and it only comes around once each year. The Classic, as it’s called, will bring a number of firsts to its newest destination, and fishing fans won’t want to miss them.

The Classic is March 24-26 in Houston. About an hour north, the 52 pros will compete for the world championship on Lake Conroe. The winner will earn $300,000 when they are crowned, a huge first for professional fishing.

Texas, the birthplace of Skeeter Boats, has only hosted the Classic once in the 46-year history of the event. That was in 1979 at Lake Texoma on the Oklahoma border. A lot has changed since then!

Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, will host the daily weigh-in show. Never before has a professional bass tournament, much less the world championship, been held in a Major League Baseball stadium.

The anglers will weigh in on a custom-made stage near third base, in full view of the fans. Plus, the Daktronics® high def video display, at 54 feet high and 124 feet wide, will come to life with on-water replays and updates.

Within walking distance of the ballpark is the George R. Brown Convention Center. That’s home for the Bassmaster Classic® Expo. It’s arguably the largest event of its kind in the country with 300,000 square feet of exhibit space, the largest in Classic history.

The Classic is now a tourist destination. Last year in Tulsa, the Classic boasted 107,000 fans coming to the weigh-in and expo, breaking an attendance record.

Alton Jones Sr.

The Classic is the chance to cheer on and meet your favorite Skeeter pros, and there are many in the competition. Former Classic champion Alton Jones Sr. and his son will compete rod-to-rod in a family showdown. A dozen top Skeeter pros are fishing the Classic, including former champion Alton Jones Sr. Click here for the complete list.

You can meet them all during what fans like to call Classic Week. Plan your trip to Houston and make sure to see these events. Best of all, admission to all is free.

Takeoff

Takeoff is a cool thing to see, as the Classic pros arrive in their fully wrapped trucks with boats in tow. It’s not just any boat launch. There is a program that includes interviews by Classic emcee Dave Mercer, who goes boat-to-boat to quiz the anglers about their day ahead.

Location: Lake Conroe Park, 14968 TX 105, Montgomery

Weigh-Ins

Come early to take in all of the pre-show entertainment including live updates from the lake and more. Baseball’s fourth largest Jumbotron® will highlight the drama as the competition unfolds. What could be better than sitting in a major league ballpark and seeing the world’s best anglers weigh in their catch?

Doors at Minute Maid Park open at 3 p.m. each day.

Location: 501 Crawford St., Houston

Expo

See the latest, greatest gear and boats, including the newest Skeeter Boats. You can meet the Skeeter Boats pros in the booth, too.

For more on the expo located at George R. Brown Convention Center click here.

Location: 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston.

In the meantime, get your boat show fix at skeeterboats.com. You can request a brochure or download a catalog, build your dream rig, and get Skeeter Team merchandise to wear to the shows. Got a question? They’ve got answers at the Skeeter factory in Kilgore, Texas. Call (903) 984-0541, or find the nearest dealer here.

This document contains many of Skeeter’s valuable trademarks. It may also contain trademarks belonging to other companies. Any references to other companies or their products are for identification purposes only, and are not intended to be an endorsement.

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